Question

What is the empirical and molecular formula of a 0.284g compound containing C, H, and O determined through combustion analysis?

Answer 1

To determine the empirical and molecular formulas of a compound containing carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) based on the information provided, you need more specific data from the combustion analysis, such as the amounts of CO2 and H2O produced during combustion. However, without that specific information, I can guide you through the general process for calculating the empirical and molecular formulas.

Here's how you would typically proceed:

1. **Combustion Analysis**:
You would typically perform a combustion analysis to produce CO2 and H2O from the compound. The amounts of CO2 and H2O produced will allow you to determine the amounts of C, H, and O in the original compound.

2. **Molar Mass Calculation**:
If you know the molar mass of the compound (which may be given), you can find the molecular formula from the empirical formula.

3. **Calculating Moles**:
From the weights of CO2 and H2O:
- Calculate the moles of carbon from CO2 produced:
\[
\text{Moles of C} = \text{Moles of CO2}
\]
- Calculate the moles of hydrogen from H2O produced:
\[
\text{Moles of H} = 2 \times \text{Moles of H2O}
\]
- The moles of oxygen can be inferred from the total mass.

4. **Finding the Empirical Formula**:
- Convert the moles of each element into the simplest whole number ratio.

5. **Finding the Molecular Formula**:
- If given, such as the molar mass of the compound, divide the molar mass of the compound by the mass of the empirical formula to find the multiplier that gives the molecular formula.

Since we don't have the specific combustion results, we can only lay out the steps to arrive at the empirical and molecular formulas using combustion analysis data. If you provide the combustion product data, I can help calculate the formulas directly!